Chapter 51
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Shelter B Deal and Hall of Stars
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After taking out the zombies that burst from inside the shelter, I shook the zombie fluids off my reinforced shotgun.
The barrel was bent.
It must have happened when it got caught in Frog's tongue.
It wasn't completely destroyed, so I used Machine Repair once, and the bent barrel straightened out neatly.
There might be more zombies inside, but for now, I'd dealt with every one in sight.
Only then did a group of people emerge from the building.
They watched me with wary eyes that also held a hint of goodwill.
Their leader approached.
Of course, I knew the leader of Shelter B. Pedro.
An NPC who handled close-quarters weapons decently well.
He was subpar to a Blader at best, but useful as a companion.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Park Si-hyun of Shelter Apocalypse."
"Shelter Apocalypse? Never heard of it..."
"It was established recently."
He tilted his head, but soon nodded as if accepting it.
"What happened to Shelter B?"
I wanted to ask if it was the Salvation Cult or the mutant zombies.
Pedro's face darkened for a moment, but he feigned composure as he spoke.
"Well, the other shelters are probably the same, but we were attacked by mutants."
So it wasn't the Salvation Cult after all.
"The wall came down then, and now we're just waiting to die.
But what brings you all the way to Shelter B, Mr. Park Si-hyun..."
Expectation glimmered in his eyes.
He was probably hoping I'd lend them a hand.
Helping Shelter B wasn't a big deal.
Just clear out the zombies inside and rebuild the wall.
"I came to make a trade. I'll build you a wall."
"A wall?"
His eyes wavered.
I walked over to the collapsed wall and used Metal Generation, erecting a massive barrier.
It was something I could manage easily even back when Metal Transformation was low-level.
Now that its level had risen, it went without saying.
In an instant, I succeeded in blocking the road with a huge wall.
Turning back, I saw the people standing there with mouths agape.
Pedro let out a sigh, his words trailing off.
"What in the world..."
"I'm also part of Team Apocalypse."
"Team Apocalypse... Dr. Elena's superhuman project?"
I nodded.
"But what's the price... As you can see, we don't have anything worth paying with."
Tension filled Pedro's eyes.
He seemed worried I'd strip them down to the beams.
Of course, I had no interest in taking the liver of a flea.
Shelter B's situation was undoubtedly far worse than Shelter A's.
I chuckled.
"I believe you have an overheater in your warehouse. Just give me that."
"But how did you know we had an overheater..."
Unlike James, who was clueless even about the air preheater, he knew about the overheater.
"If you'd rather not, we can cancel the deal."
Pedro shook his head vigorously.
As I erected the barrier for Shelter B, I also cleared out the remaining zombies inside.
The survivors came out from the building one by one to join in, making short work of the zombies.
"Um, if it's not too rude, could I ask where Shelter Apocalypse is located?"
I nodded at Pedro's question and answered.
"We're using the industrial district as our base right now."
He muttered "industrial district, industrial district..." to himself, then nodded.
I turned and climbed into the truck.
If fate willed it, I'd cross paths with them again.
Watching the departing Park Si-hyun, Lucio—Pedro's best friend and another leader of Shelter B—spoke up.
"Pedro, what are we gonna do?"
"About what?"
"It feels like we're out of options on our own."
Pedro nodded.
The new wall Park Si-hyun had built was a help, but regardless, he knew Shelter B couldn't last much longer.
They'd lost many survivors in the previous incident, but more than that, there was no prospect for the 'future.'
He knew it well and had originally planned to seek refuge in Shelter A or Shelter C.
"Shelter Apocalypse."
"Is the industrial district far from here?"
"Pretty far. Three hours, four at least."
In this zombie-infested apocalypse, a trip that took three or four hours meant accepting serious risk.
"Is it worth the danger?"
Lucio shook his head at Pedro's question.
"Didn't you see that superhuman earlier? He built this wall all by himself.
And what do you think it means that he asked for the overheater as payment?"
"The power plant?"
His eyes went wide.
"Yeah, he's planning to fire up the power plant and secure electricity.
In this apocalypse, that's the stuff of dreams."
Shelter B did have electricity, of course.
But it was just what they scraped together from the solar panels on the building—not nearly enough for the residents.
"But with that guy's abilities, he could make that dream a reality and then some.
It might be better for us, for the people, if we head there sooner rather than later."
Pedro's head nodded as he thought it over.
While driving the truck, I ran into a group of survivors riding in a black van.
Before I could even approach and talk, they whipped out guns and opened fire.
A hail of bullets shattered the windshield.
I slammed on the brakes, grabbed the rifle from behind the truck seat, and scoped them out.
Ten in sight.
Every one of them wore a cross around their neck.
Only vicious scavengers or the Salvation Cult would shoot at strangers on sight.
All the better, I thought.
I needed Salvation Cult followers to locate the 'Hall of Stars.'
I raised the rifle and pulled the trigger.
Bang, bang.
One of them took a round and pitched forward.
"You heretic scum!"
"Kill that bastard in the name of our holy leader!"
They fired first, yet these zealot bastards called me the heretic.
I muttered that under my breath as I peeked out, then pulled back.
Bullets rained down as expected.
Of course, not a single one hit me.
After some 'fishing,' I squeezed off shots at them.
Their reactions were a step slower from the baiting.
In that window, my muzzle flashed.
Bang, bang, bang.
Three shots later, another one crumpled.
Realizing this wasn't working, they suddenly charged out from behind the van.
They must not have spotted the power suit I was wearing.
It was covered in thick clothing, and made of mithril unlike standard power suits, so it didn't show.
In any case, three died to my bullets mid-charge.
Five left.
They fired at me.
I swung my arm, batting away the incoming rounds.
"Wh-what!?"
They panicked and stumbled back, but I rushed them and swung my fist.
Thud!
The man who took it full in the face sprawled on the ground.
I snatched his rifle, used Metal Transformation to turn it into a spear, then hurled it.
The spear pierced the chest of a follower aiming at me.
...After easily wiping out the Salvation Cult followers, I looked down at the three tied up in front of me.
The ones I'd caught while fleeing.
They stared up at me in terror.
"Hall of Stars. You know it?"
"How does a heretic know about the Hall of Stars?"
"Cut the crap. Do you or don't you?"
"We don't!"
Without hesitation, I thrust the spear into his leg.
There was no qualm in my action.
Part of it was anger from their unprovoked shooting, but more so the cans I'd found in their van.
"Arghhh!"
The man shuddered violently.
I briefly wondered if he was actually feeling it, then yanked the spear free.
Blood poured from his leg.
Left like that, he'd bleed out for sure.
Not my problem, though.
"Tell me if you want to live."
"Ugh... You think I'll talk? Our leader won't let you, any of you, get away with this."
Pretty strong-willed guy.
As I debated killing him or not, the woman beside him screamed through tear-streaked face.
"I'll tell you! Please spare him!"
Probably his wife or girlfriend.
I held the spear to his throat and asked her.
"Where is it?"
"The Hall of Stars... it's in the cathedral on the south side of the city."
The cathedral next to Shelter C.
I intimidated another follower and confirmed her story was true.
I nodded.
"Now please save him..."
I stood up.
I had no intention of breaking my word.
"You have to untie him!? Hey! Please save us!"
Of course, I also had no plans to free them from the chains.
The woman shrieked, then unleashed a torrent of curses at me.
From bastard on down, every insult in the book.
I wonder if she'd shown mercy when they shoved fingers into victims' guts.
Hypocrisy has its limits.
Through the rearview mirror, I watched them recede into the distance.
Black shapes appeared beyond them.
Zombies.
With the earlier gunfire and the woman's incessant screams, it would've been weirder if they hadn't shown.
The zombies swarmed them.
The faint screams that carried soon cut off.
I faced forward again and fiddled with the cross from my pocket.
I'd taken theirs. A Salvation Cult cross.
Its four sharp points were all uneven lengths—enough to feel ominous.
'God damn it.'
I wanted to chuck the cross right then, but held back.
A Salvation Cult cross was one of the essentials for entering the cathedral.
After that, I stopped by Shelter E and Shelter F, wrapping up trades successfully.
They eyed me warily at first, but showed rifle and ammo and they fell in line.
Now three materials remained.
One was adamantium.
One was inside the fallen Shelter C, and the last in Shelter D.
The Salvation Cult followers might've taken it.
The first two were likely in the cathedral.
I hid the truck inside a building.
Used Metal Generation to create a massive cover and drape it over.
To keep any survivors from taking it.
Once prepared, I stepped outside.
A Salvation Cult necklace hung around my neck.